Typhoon Neoguri Threatens Okinawa, Could Become Category 5 Hurricane

Typhoon Neoguri threatens the Japanese island of Okinawa and could turn into a Category 5 hurricane. Photo: NOAA

A powerful typhoon named Neoguri is gaining strength as it barrels toward the Japanese island of Okinawa, CNN reported Sunday. Neoguri is expected to morph into a super typhoon.

Typhoon Neoguri's winds are expected to have the strength of a Category 5 hurricane by the time it reaches near Okinawa on Tuesday, the news site said.

Okinawa typically finds itself in the path of typhoons. Many of their buildings are built to sustain the strong winds the Western Pacific can bring, but Neoguri could be different. Residents might have something to worry about, CNN International Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera said.

"This is scary stuff because what could happen is that this storm could move just to the west of Okinawa," he said. "That would put Okinawa in the worst possible situation."

"There's nothing in its way" before it reaches Okinawa, Cabrera said. The extreme weather is also expected to bring heavy rains with it.

According to CNN, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said Neoguri’s winds could produce sustained winds as strong as 160 mph and gusts at 195 mph. Waves could reach a height of 30 feet.

The storm already has its own hashtag, in part due to an astronaut tweeting about the storm.

"#Typhoon Neoguri nearing Japan. Takes up our entire view. Wow," Astronaut Reid Wiseman in the International Space Center tweeted, along with an intense photo of the typhoon.

His post has been retweeted more than 1,000 times and made a "favorite" nearly 800 times.

Apparently the Japan mainland doesn’t have much to worry about. The storm is expected to die down when it reaches there on Wednesday. The winds still could be strong though when it hit Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's main islands.

A white Fiat van rammed into pedestrians outside enjoying a late afternoon stroll on Las Ramblas in Barcelona on Thursday killing at least 13 people and leaving hundreds injured. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.